Vladimir Putin is militarising education in Russia.

Vladimir Putin is training Russian children to fly military drones, according to British intelligence.

The latest update from the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) cited open source reporting which indicates approximately 2,500 teachers at more than 500 schools and 30 colleges are teaching young Russians how to operate the unmanned devices.

Putin’s own minister of education and science, Valery Falkov, even stated back in May 2024 that Russia wants to have a million drone specialists by 2030.

The president also allegedly announced back in June that he was setting up a separate branch within the Russian Armed Forces just for operating the equipment, also known as uncrewed aerial systems (UAS).

The MoD described it as a “notable development in the highly likely continuing militarisation of Russian education”.

This is a trend that has been increasing ever since Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022, according to the officials.

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 20 August 2025.

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